14 Products Japan Almost Got Right (And 4 They Did)

English has established itself as the dominant force in the global communication sphere, and as a result you can find it on everything from subway signs to strip club advertisements across the world.

In some countries, consumers see English is seen as cool or exotic, and advertisers have taken notice of this trend amongst their customers (similar to the American obsession with tattooing themselves with kanji or the Brazilian obsession with tribal tattoos).

For some reason, I expected the English in Japan to be flawless in its execution, but I could not have been more misguided (it was entertaining to say the least). The following is a showcase of products that at one point someone decided would be enhanced with English words. Are these words meaningful in their arrangement? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Are they incredibly entertaining to come across in the wild? Yes they are.

I don’t even know.

I see what you’re going for here, I think.

Found at a “trendy” clothing store – now you dress up as Bill from Sysco Food Systems! Only $30!

Don’t like Bill? Try dressing up as Jose from Miller Lite!

Korean restaurant in Japan – so close.

A great surprise indeed.

They have their word order down, but the excessive use of single quotes kills it. & why is Fun capitalized?

It’s like they took quotes from the cover of an outdoors magazine.

INSTINCTIVELY!

Not sure what this means, but it does make me very excited.

So inspirational.

Admittedly, this makes perfect sense, but you must admit that the addition of “this” sounds very unnatural.

Redemption!

As entertaining as it is when translation goes awry, by the same token, some translations prove superior to a native speaker’s take on things.

The following products found on Japanese shelves do a fantastic job incorporating the English language, and as a result they won my favor, and my business.

ABOUT

Halfway Anywhere started out in 2011 as a way for me to share my travels with friends and family. Since then it has grown tremendously into a not only a collection of my own stories and travels, but as a resource for anyone looking to step into the world of adventure.

My mission is to provide and share information gathered from firsthand experience to make travel more accessible to everyone looking to escape those prohibitive zones of comfort.